Dear StrikeMaster....

[AlbertanGP]

Ardisam is coming for you.

[TROLLER]

Doing there best to stay up with the good one.

Same weight as the Strikemaster but bottom line it is not a Strikemaster with the lazer mag blades.

I have the 24volt 8 " and it drills quicker than my older 8 with the honda motor.

Battery last me all day with constant drilling and moving and best because of the weight it is not too hard on an old guy like me.

BTW I have found a guy in Airdrie that can sharpen the Strikemaster lazer blades. Come back like new.

[JohninAB]

I checked the E40 out at The Fishing Hole last time in the city. What a light weight auger. I have the Strikemaster 24v and swear the 8” E40 is lighter and is 40v to boot.

If I was buying a new auger, the E40 would get very serious consideration, especially with the free 2nd battery.

[58thecat]

We run the strikemaster 40v 8" cut....21lbs....bought it because of the tried and true by many before us.

This Eskimo at 8lbs lighter would be nice but lets see how it plays out in real time ice fishing scenarios...up to and including falling out of pick up trucks when the tail gate gets left down etc

I would let others take the plunge first and have Eskimo work out the snags as they surface and then make a decision based on tuff, reliable, and customer service.

Don't get me wrong I like Eskimo products....some...as I like others too

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by JohninAB

If I was buying a new auger, the E40 would get very serious consideration, especially with the free 2nd battery.

They don't all come with a second battery free...yet. I'm on the Thorne Bros. Mailing list and that's a special they are offering right now. But if they are doing it now, I bet Ardisam/Eskimo offers it at some point this winter. That was the biggest selling point of a StrikeMaster over an ION in the past.

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

This Eskimo at 8lbs lighter would be nice but lets see how it plays out in real time ice fishing scenarios...up to and including falling out of pick up trucks when the tail gate gets left down etc

I would let others take the plunge first and have Eskimo work out the snags as they surface and then make a decision based on tuff, reliable, and customer service.

Don't get me wrong I like Eskimo products....some...as I like others too

It's just a rebranded torqued down ION Alpha, so they should have it sorted out already. This is the first season in years where ION didn't release a new auger so they must finally be happy with what they have.

Ardisam just bought Jiffy as well for those who weren't aware. So ION, Eskimo and Jiffy are all essentially made by the same company.

[Frank_NK28]

Last year I am strolling through the aisles at Cabelas and someone had set a Strikemaster 8" Lite Flyte in the aisle between the tackle and clothing. It had a clearance tag on it of $100 off and a note saying the shield and adapter for a hand drill were missing. Perfect I wanted it for my 40V Lithium. I removed my 10" steel flyte once I got home and put the new lite flyte on the auger.
First trip out I drill a test hole to check ice thickness and I BLAZED through 15" of ice in 1/3 the time of the 10" steel flyte. I could not believe the difference.
I have no need to switch to another brand. If memory serves the flyte switch shaved off 5 or 8 pounds(can't recall exactly?) and the machine is a joy to run and gun with on foot now.

[SNAPFisher]

The weight is awesome. Price is good. 800 inches a charge for the E40 10 inch is not so good. It will be interesting if anyone on here picks up the 10 inch and reports back on how little that actually is per charge. Better get a 2nd battery for sure!

[fish99]

Originally Posted by AlbertanGP

Ardisam is coming for you.

Looks close to the strikemaster model

[crudedude]

Heads up Pokeys tackle has the Eskimo E40 in the 8” and steel auger in stock and comes with a free second battery. Unfortunately they will not stock the composite ones. Black Friday deal.

[spurly]

How much do these new augers cost?

[crudedude]

Stillwater adventures is offering the free battery with the purchase of the E-40 in either 8” or 10” in steel or composite auger. They have stock. Just ordered one need to call to receive the free battery deal.Costs are $769 to $789 for composite and $100 less for the steel auger.

[spurly]

Thanks

[akn]

Strikemaster 40 V Pro is on sale at Cabela’s, $650 from $900. Is this as good as it gets or will there be better deals for the 40 V / Pro?

[Frank_NK28]

Originally Posted by akn

Strikemaster 40 V Pro is on sale at Cabela’s, $650 from $900. Is this as good as it gets or will there be better deals for the 40 V / Pro?

I haven't seen them sale priced less than $650 since the winter of 2018/19...bought my 10" 40V for $649 including a free spare battery on a Cabelas boxing day sale that year. And they had batteries on sale for $99 so I bought a third. Have lots of backup power if needed.

[akn]

Originally Posted by Frank_NK28

I haven't seen them sale priced less than $650 since the winter of 2018/19...bought my 10" 40V for $649 including a free spare battery on a Cabelas boxing day sale that year. And they had batteries on sale for $99 so I bought a third. Have lots of backup power if needed.

Good to know, thanks. Was hoping for a spare battery promo haha.

[Poppa]

Only thing I wish I had was the free spare battery with my SM40V, but it wasn't on when we purchased last year. Still, among the best money I've ever spent in fishing. It is an incredible auger... so light and easy to use, even my wife can use it easily.

[JohninAB]

Fishin Hole has both the Eskimo and Strikemaster 40V Lite with the free second battery promotion.